Docker vs Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] comparison

Docker and Nutanix are both solutions in the Container Management category. Additionally, 98% of Docker users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Nutanix users who would recommend it.

Docker

Read 57 Docker reviews

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98% willing to recommend

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine N...

Read 14 Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] reviews

100% willing to recommend

Docker

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine N...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 11, 2025

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE EOL and Docker compete in the container management and orchestration category, with Docker typically showing more widespread adoption due to its extensive feature set.

Features: Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE EOL provides robust interoperability within Nutanix services, offering seamless cluster deployment, management, and integration with Nutanix's hyper-converged infrastructure. Docker supports advanced containerization, enabling diverse application configurations, comprehensive tooling, and broad integration options. It also provides internal DNS and avoids the need for a load balancer.

Room for Improvement: Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE EOL could improve by enhancing integration with non-Nutanix environments, expanding customer use cases, and offering competitive pricing independent of its ecosystem. Docker's areas for improvement include reducing initial setup complexity, providing more comprehensive built-in security features, and enhancing the simplicity of managing and scaling containerized applications for inexperienced users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE EOL boasts easy integration within Nutanix environments, facilitating quick deployment while aligning its support with the Nutanix ecosystem. Docker offers a flexible deployment model adaptable to various infrastructures, requiring more initial setup but providing greater flexibility, backed by extensive community and commercial support that enhances deployment agility.

Pricing and ROI: Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE EOL may entail a significant initial investment, ideal for businesses already using Nutanix solutions, yielding cohesive ROI in such setups. Docker's open-source model results in favorable cost structures and lower setup costs, leading to more immediate ROI, although it might involve additional user-experience investments.

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Docker

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Development Platforms (1st), Container Management (4th), Software Supply Chain Security (2nd), AI Software Development (4th)

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine N...

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

reviewer2787357

Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.

Containerization has standardized deployments and drives faster, more reliable delivery

As Docker is already a very mature tool, there are areas where it can be improved based on real-world usage. One area I consider is the Windows container experience. The pain point here is that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers because I have worked in both environments and felt that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers. This also limits the ecosystem and tooling maturity compared to Linux containers. Improvements could include performance optimization and better parity with Linux container features. Apart from that, observability and debugging is another area. The pain point is the limited native metrics available and limited logging and tracing features. Improvements could include adding a good amount of metrics, logging, and tracing, as well as better built-in observability features and easier container introspection. Network complexity is also present. I face issues with Docker networking that can become confusing in complex setups, and debugging container-to-container issues is not always intuitive. Improvements can be made with simpler networking abstractions and better built-in troubleshooting tools. Docker is excellent for containerization and CI/CD, but it can be improved in areas of built-in security, network simplicity, and observability. These points should be kept in mind and worked on.

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reviewer2741271

Nutanix Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees

Has provided seamless upgrade experiences and robust technical support

I have heard there are many features added in NKP that are not available in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE, such as load balancer features. The unified control plane feature is not being used in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE. We are currently using a third-party tool for load balancing, but going forward, NKP will include load balancer, ingress, and egress features, making infrastructure management much easier. There is no auto-scaling feature in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE; however, NKP offers it. In NKE, we created additional worker nodes and increased CPU and RAM capacity, but it required manual intervention. Concerning policy-driven governance in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE, we have the ability to implement RBAC at the cluster level, which helps maintain security by not granting full admin privileges to every end user, thus restricting access effectively.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Docker is the dedicated QA environment for connecting the team members. Additionally, there are many core features available and it is highly secure when we are imaging a client's server."

"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"We find the auto scaling and auto healing functionality of this solution very good."

"The most valuable feature is that it is cost-saving."

"There are ways of using Docker where you have absolutely no dependencies on the environment that you work in. This allows us to deploy Docker anywhere anytime and this has been most valuable."

"The scalability of Docker is good."

"The solution's customer service is good."

"The solution offers speed and flexibility."

More Docker pros

"Nutanix's support is really good."

"The most valuable features of the Nutanix Kubernetes Engine (NKE) are its simplicity and efficiency during the initial cluster creation phase."

"Nutanix is very stable and reliable, based on my experience with many customers, including large banks and telcos."

"The technical support is excellent."

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"The solution is easy to manage. You can get everything in a single platform. It is also easy to work with Terraform as a code."

"My experience with Nutanix's technical support is excellent."

"We can add some add-ons and plugins to the product if we need to."

More Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] pros

Cons

"I would like to see a more UI-based tool so that students can easily understand it rather than memorizing all of the Docker commands."

"Management can be improved with the necessary tools for orchestration."

"I would like to see better management layers."

"However, I have deducted 1.5 points because there are still some gaps around security, observability, and networking simplicity that can be addressed."

"The solution is not easy to manage and it is one of the reasons why people introduce orchestration tools to manage it."

"The solution could offer better documentation."

"The stability could be improved."

"The solution could improve with a GUI instead of only a command line interface. Having to use the command line interface can be a hassle."

More Docker cons

"The product lacks some virtualization capabilities, making it an area for improvement where the solution can focus on providing users with more virtualization capabilities related to disk systems."

"NKE could benefit from additional features that support more advanced Kubernetes functionalities and configurations."

"Nutanix has limitations compared to VMware, particularly in testing and industry tie-ups with different OEMs. Deploying virtual machines, especially for industrial automation, can be challenging due to compatibility issues."

"Areas for improvement in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine (NKE) include upgrading management capabilities and enhancing the user interface for improved usability."

"I have issues with the product's interoperability."

"GUI lacks sufficient information to help with understanding the installation and process."

"There is no auto-scaling feature in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE; however, NKP offers it. In NKE, we created additional worker nodes and increased CPU and RAM capacity, but it required manual intervention."

"We need a backup of production clusters."

More Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are using the open-source version of the solution."

"Customers pay for the license through a yearly subscription model, where they pay per license. This means that the license is based on a subscription, and the customer pays annually for each license they use."

"Docker is cost-effective and open-source."

"The pricing of the solution is fairly cheap."

"The offering and service are quite free."

"Its convenience edition is free of cost."

"It's an open-source solution, so it doesn't cost anything"

"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."

More Docker pricing and cost advice

"I rate NKE's pricing a six out of ten."

"The platform is averagely priced. I rate the pricing as four out of ten."

"The product's licenses are included in the software version deployed in our data center."

"I rate the product price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"While deploying Kubernetes clusters on Nutanix is cost-effective, there may be additional costs for remote branch offices where Kubernetes is less common."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

14%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

University

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	35

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Docker?

We are using Docker to host applications.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?

The setup cost has balanced out, and I find Docker's pricing reasonable. Docker Engine is free and open source for Linux, and Docker Desktop is free for individual developers and small teams, but a...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Docker?

See all answers

What do you like most about Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE?

The most valuable features of the Nutanix Kubernetes Engine (NKE) are its simplicity and efficiency during the initial cluster creation phase.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE?

In terms of features, I cannot comment technically, but the real value is the consolidated out-of-the-box solution that Nutanix offers. Nutanix has built great branding and a lot of credibility and...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE?

I have experience with OpenShift, Kubernetes, and Nutanix, as we are one of the largest Nutanix resellers in the Middle East. We handle Kubernetes on the cloud as well, so we manage most of the Kub...

See all answers

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Product Reports

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Docker

February 2026

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Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL]

January 2026

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] report

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Also Known As

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Nutanix Karbon

Overview

Docker provides a robust containerization platform, enabling identical environments across machines. With features like portability, fast deployment, and minimal resource consumption, Docker supports development, facilitating multitier architectures and integrating seamlessly with Kubernetes.

Docker offers an advanced containerization solution that enhances application management through automation and security measures. By isolating environments and managing dependencies, Docker supports platforms for scalable application development. Its integration with orchestration tools like Kubernetes and independence from host operating systems enable developers to create lightweight applications effectively. Although known for its cost efficiency and flexibility, Docker could improve in areas such as stability, command-line usability, and Windows performance integration. Users also point out the need for enhanced documentation, simplified management tools, and better persistence storage options, along with stronger marketing and easier user adoption.

What important features does Docker provide?

Containerization: Creates consistent environments across machines.
Portability: Runs on different hosts with ease.
Fast Deployment: Speeds up application launches and updates.
Security: Offers isolation and management of dependencies.
Scaling: Supports application scaling and multitier architectures.

What benefits should users look for when evaluating Docker?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces resource usage with lightweight containers.
Flexibility: Integrates with orchestration tools like Kubernetes.
Performance: Enhances resource utilization and onboarding.
On-premises Management: Simplifies managing cloud and local setups.

Industries leverage Docker for application packaging, deploying microservices, and CI/CD processes. It supports DevOps, enhances backend service management, and enables resource-efficient development environments. Docker's compatibility with tools such as Jenkins ensures seamless integration and orchestration in modern IT workflows.

Docker

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] offers easy deployment, efficient resource management, and seamless integration with existing infrastructure, supporting virtualization and configurable RBAC.

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] simplifies Kubernetes cluster deployment and management, offering robust features such as health checks and seamless upgrades. It integrates with existing systems, supports virtualization, and provides a unified console. Automatic load management and scalability contribute to its stability. Though migrating via VMware poses challenges and documentation updates are needed, potential enhancements include dynamic resource scaling, advanced backup options, and improved disaster recovery. NKE is ideal for microservices, container management, and application modernization, playing a vital role in DevOps settings.

What are the key features of Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL]?

Easy Deployment: Simplifies cluster setup and management for quick ramp-up.
Resource Allocation: Efficiently allocates computing resources for optimized operations.
Seamless Upgrades: Handles updates without causing downtime.
Integration: Works with existing infrastructure, allowing virtualization support.
Console Management: Offers a single interface for robust management features.

What benefits should users look for in Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL]?

Cost-Effectiveness: Provides a reliable Kubernetes platform with reduced operational costs.
Scalability: Ensures stability and growth alongside increasing demands.
Support Features: Includes robust technical support for a seamless experience.
Efficiency: Enhances workload management in DevOps environments.
Configurable Options: Allows tailored RBAC and scalable virtualization benefits.

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE [EOL] is deployed in industries focusing on microservices and application modernization, serving development to testing environments. It integrates with hardware and API tools, supporting DevOps workloads and infrastructure management. Primarily used on-premises, it supports large-scale application deployment leveraging network capabilities.

Nutanix

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

JetBlue, International Speedway Corporation, SAIC Volkswagen

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